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How Engineers Solved A Medical Dilemma That Stumped Doctors In Africa

A soup ladle has no place in an emergency blood transfusion. But for hundreds of thousands of women throughout the developing world, impromptu and life-threatening solutions like this are commonplace. One organization is providing much-needed alternatives through innovative engineering and a relentlessly entrepreneurial spirit.

“It struck us as very unfair,” Chen said. “Where you are born determines the outcome of your pregnancy. It sparked a passion within us.”

But Chen and Henker aren’t medical doctors — they’re engineers. And after spending a month performing clinical observations in Ghana through the University of Michigan, they discovered that many of the developing nation’s unique healthcare needs could be addressed through better design.

Early DIIME co-founder Caitlin Winget shows James Akazili, a health economist from Ghana, Hemafuse. The low-tech mechanical device provides a safer and more efficient way to handle autologous blood transfusions. (Photo courtesy of Gillian Henker)

A medical dilemma that stumped doctors

The Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi, Ghana had an interesting dilemma. The facility, which has had a relationship with the University of Michigan for more than 25 years, didn’t need more donations or doctors. In fact, they had plenty of both.

But donated equipment, no matter how well-intentioned, has severely limited value to hospitals in developing nations. According to DIIME.org, an estimated 96 percent of donated medical equipment becomes unusable within five years due to insufficient maintenance resources and inadequate staff training.

“There is a part of the hospital called ‘The Graveyard’ with tons of broken down, donated equipment,” added Henker. “They have no manuals. They can’t use them. They’re tired of all this junk that isn’t appropriate for their needs.”

Meanwhile, nurses were struggling to monitor the breathing of 50 infants at a time and doctors were repeatedly reusing sections of disposable tubing in just a few, often ill-fitting sizes.

“They have a lot of the doctors there,” said Chen, “and they do the best they can with the resources they have.”

Changing healthcare with design and engineers

Addressing the issue of resource scarcity and quality is precisely where DIIME shines. But using engineers to solve these problems wasn’t always so obvious. In fact, the University of Michigan program that brought Henker and Chen to Ghana once sent only medical students.

“We did get questioned a little bit as to why engineers were there,” said Henker. But their clinical observations soon revealed how many of the hospital’s healthcare challenges could be solved with better design and engineering.

The pair began by working with those who experienced these challenges firsthand. “We didn’t only talk to the clinicians,” Henker said, “but also the maintenance staff. Medical equipment is difficult to repair.”

Human-Centered Solutions

When they returned to Ghana with a prototype for their first product, Hemafuse, a low-tech mechanical device that provides a safer and more efficient way to handle autologous blood transfusions, the staff’s reaction assured them that they were on to something.

“What we brought back was just a superglued, spray-painted prototype, but they were so excited about it,” said Henker. “It really inspired us to say, ‘there is so much opportunity here.’ ”

Hemafuse marked the beginning of DIIME, as well as a new focus on using engineering and design to address the health threats faced by women and infants in the developing world. The organization also has an ambitious list of upcoming products, including infant breathing monitors and multi-function labor and delivery beds.

“We’re about interacting with the local communities and getting them involved,” Henker said, “and not working from a perspective that you are bringing the solution, but finding a collaborative solution.”

These collaborative solutions — in the form of innovative, low-maintenance products — are already saving lives. And they’re just getting started.

A former downtown development professional, Natalie Burg is a freelancer who writes about growth, entrepreneurialism and innovation.

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